Counter space in grocery stores, supermarkets and other retail establishments is often at a premium. Most of these businesses provide disposable merchandise bags for their customers to use in transporting their purchases. When using film bags, such as those made of thermoplastics or similar materials, it is desirable that the bag dispensing systems provide bags that are self-opening. Typically, self-opening bag dispensing systems require a rack that holds a pack of merchandise bags on a central hook and a pair of horizontal arms. Such dispensing systems are usually placed on top of a check-out counter and require a square foot of counter space or more, depending upon the bag size. If self-opening bags can be conveniently dispensed without using this counter space, merchandise can be more efficiently handled at check-out counters.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,322,067, issued to Fujii et al., discloses a sheet loading apparatus for an imaging forming device. The sheet cassette shown in this patent has a pivotally mounted sheet loading plate that resembles the bag holding tray device seen in your disclosure material. The sheet loading plate has cutout portions that depend upon the size of sheets to be supplied with side guides on the sheet loading plate. A lifting mechanism with a link rod is pivoted by a driver within the apparatus and configured to lift the sheet loading plate by means of the plate when the link rod is rotated. This linkage provides for two different positions of the loading plate which may correspond to the loading and unloading positions of the tray seen in your disclosure material.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,402 issued to Johnson is directed to a rack for storing and dispensing a supply of bags includes a base member. The base member includes a track extending between first and second ends of the base member. The rack has first and second ends and is adapted for supporting a supply of bags. The rack includes structure for engaging the track of the base member. The rack is slidable on the base member between a bag loading position in which the rack first end is disposed adjacent to the base member second end, and a bag storing and dispensing position in which the rack first end is disposed adjacent to the base member first end.
U.S. Patent Application No. 2010/0164169 published for Wakakusa illustrates a sheet storing device includes a container including a first holding surface configured to hold a first sheet thereon, and a tray positioned at an upper side of the container. The tray includes a second holding surface configured to hold a second sheet thereon. The tray is configured to selectively move between a first position and a second position downstream from the first position in a first direction. The sheet storing device further includes a positioning unit configured to selectively position the tray in one of the first position and the second position, and a linking unit configured to link the tray to the container and to pivot about a particular pivot axis which extends in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and parallel to the first holding surface of the container. The linking unit pivots to selectively move the tray between the first position and the second position.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,777,439, issued to Fried disclose a bag-opening dispenser and method and shows a container that is stored in a horizontal manner and wherein the front edge of the upper wall of the bag is gripped and pulled longitudinally and upwardly while the bottom edge of the bag is held by a weighted bar. Thus, the bag is held until it has been pulled open and then removed from under the bar such that the bag is ready for receiving merchandise.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,245,518, issued to Allen is directed to a paper bag holder and provides another example of a tray-like device that contains bags held in a horizontal configuration and provides for the individual removal of individual bags as they are needed.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,175,025, issued to Chum discloses a convenience package for thin film products according to aspects of the present invention places a folded stack of thin film plastic bags inside a container to protect the bags during shipping, handling and dispensing. The container surrounds the plastic bags and includes an opening through which individual bags are retrieved. The plastic bags are attached to each other in such a manner that retrieval of a first bag through the opening in the container partially retrieves a second bag and leaves part of the second bag protruding through the opening. Attachments between bags within the container ensure that each bag is opened as it is retrieved through the opening.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide a dispensing system for self-opening merchandise bags that minimizes the use of check-out counter space. It is a further objective to provide such a system that can be mounted beneath a check-out counter. It is a still further objective of the invention to provide a bag dispensing system that is easy to load and provides visual inventory of the bags remaining in the bag pack. It is yet a further objective to provide a dispenser that can handle t-shirt style bags as well as header bags. Finally, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a dispensing system that is durable, inexpensive and simple for check-out personnel to operate.
While some of the objectives of the present invention are disclosed in the prior art, none of the inventions found include all of the requirements identified.